Always order El Plato del Dia

Yesterday I set off to see Monte Alban, some ruins just outside of Oaxaca City. Before taking the van ride I went out for some coffee, real coffee, not the instant stuff. I love this hostel and their free breakfast, that comes with eggs, but the coffee their coffee is not my favorite. Anyway, I found this plaza that turns out to be La Basilica d

e la Soledad. This picture is of the police in training who were running laps in the plaza...and then crawing on the ground...and doing push-ups, I was trying not to laugh because it looked very challenging, but they didn't seem badass at all. 

From this plaza I went to meet up with two Argentinian girls from my hostel who planned our trip to Monte Alban.  I decided to do the trip sin guia, without a guide, because sometimes that gets boring. So I wandered around the ruins and read little signs and stuff. The ruins were cool and all, but I was baking and for sure getting a sun burn and I couldn't help thinking...How could this have been one of the first planned suburban communities if there aren't any tress or shade? So I asked this dude selling small clay figures about it and we had a whole conversation about the history of the different indigenous groups that lived in this area and he said that yes, there were trees, but they were

destroyed like everything else. Then he told me all about being a farmer nearby and whatnot, very cool dude, I think way cooler than the guias. Anyway, the ruins trip really wiped me 

out and I never woke up from my afternoon siesta. Today, I hiked

 up the largest hill in Oaxaca City to take in the view and then walked down to meet some people for lunch. As I alreayd mentioned El Plato del Dia treated me well.  I got the largest and definitely best meal at the table and paid the least, and of couse it was accompanied by beans!